Pork butt

Newbie

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Joined Oct 28, 2013

got a nice little boston butt ready for tomorrows games it weights 3.50 pounds planning on smoking at 225 planning to foil at 165-170 then back on the smoker till it hits 200... am i missing anything else? lol (noob here)

Master of the Pit

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IMHO you should not be jumping through hoops on your first butt cook, instead just apply your rub, cook it between 275°-285° until done. That little 3.5 pounder will take between 3 and 3.5 hours to cook(maybe less) at that temp. No muss, no fuss and some good eating.

Smoke Blower

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Joined Jul 2, 2013

Thanks Cliff. I have only smoked 9 to 10# butts and I found a 3.5# at the grocery store yesterday. I was wondering if I could get cooked a lot quicker that the big ones. I also have always cooked at 220 to 240 for my butts. Will it be as tender with the higher temp of 275-285. I plan to pull it at 195 to 200 degrees. I am also cooking two spatched chickens during the same session and the higher temp works for them. Anyone got any hints for success?.

Master of the Pit

Thanks Cliff. I have only smoked 9 to 10# butts and I found a 3.5# at the grocery store yesterday. I was wondering if I could get cooked a lot quicker that the big ones. I also have always cooked at 220 to 240 for my butts. Will it be as tender with the higher temp of 275-285. I plan to pull it at 195 to 200 degrees. I am also cooking two spatched chickens during the same session and the higher temp works for them. Anyone got any hints for success?.

I'm not cliff but I have done my last few butts at 275 - they cook quicker and are just as tender and juicy! My only complaint is that they do not have as much of a smokey flavor, even when I add more wood for smoke.

Going by internal temperature is the best way to judge the doneness...

Smoke Blower

Master of the Pit

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As PGSmoker64 said no loss of juiciness or tenderness(or bark). As for smoky flavor, that tends to be personal preference and is also dependent on the wood used. I use 6-8 pieces of seasoned apple or black cherry(3" long by 1" thick) buried in my charcoal ring when I cook butts, this gives us enough smoke flavor for our tastes. YMMV.